Great branding propels a business forward.
Bad branding events can have a devastating impact on the reputation of a company.
Responding to bad branding events can yield the success to destruction of a brand’s reputation.
A classic example is Snapple’s giant popsicle melting incident in downtown Manhattan way back in 2002.
This event quickly went viral, leaving an indelible mark on the brand and its products for years to come.
The incident showed that even with careful planning, unexpected disasters can still occur – resulting in significant damage to an organization’s public image and trustworthiness.
To prevent such disasters from happening again, it is important for companies to be aware of how their actions will be perceived by consumers and stakeholders.
This will help you protect their brands from any potential harm caused by bad branding events and manage campaigns better in the future.
Why Do Bad Branding Events Matter?
A bad branding event could be any negative publicity that is associated with a brand or product.
Your graphic design doesn’t matter anymore if every time the public sees it, they think something bad about your business.
This could include a consumer getting sick from consuming a product, a scandal related to the company’s management or processes, or any other kind of controversy that brings negative attention to the brand.
Unfortunately, it is all too common for companies to experience some degree of bad publicity in this day and age.
It is essential for organizations to take steps to try and mitigate the effects of such events by responding quickly and effectively.
How?
Handling a bad branding event can be challenging, but there are a few steps you can take to address the situation and mitigate any negative effects:
Acknowledge the issue
Ignoring the issue will not make it go away.
When it comes to handling a bad branding event, ignoring the issue is NOT an option.
Companies must take responsibility for the problem and acknowledge that something went wrong in order to protect their reputation from significant damage.
Acknowledging the issue is one of the most important steps in responding to a bad branding event as it shows stakeholders, consumers, and other parties affected by the incident that you are aware of what happened and are taking steps to address it.
It also allows you to begin formulating a plan on how best to handle the situation going forward.
By acknowledging a bad branding event quickly and effectively, companies can show they care about their customers’ experience with their brand and demonstrate their commitment to making things right again.
Apologize
Apologize for any harm or inconvenience the bad branding event may have caused to your customers, stakeholders and partners – and let them know that you’re working on resolving the issue.
When it comes to bad branding events, apologizing is essential for companies wanting to protect their reputation from significant damage.
An example of this can be seen in the case of United Airlines’ handling of the 2017 incident involving a passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight.
In response to the negative publicity surrounding the event, United quickly issued a public apology and took responsibility for what had happened.
The airline admitted that they could have handled the situation better and apologized not only to those directly affected by incident but also to all customers who witnessed or heard about it.
By doing so, they showed stakeholders and consumers that they were aware of what had happened and were taking steps to address it effectively – mitigating any potential long-term harm caused by this bad branding event.
Respond quickly and transparently
Respond to the issue quickly and transparently, updating your customers, stakeholders and partners on the situation as often as necessary.
Keep everyone informed, and provide accurate, timely information.
An effective response to a bad branding event requires companies to not only react quickly, but also do so in a transparent manner.
It is important that they provide accurate and up-to-date information in order to ensure customers, stakeholders and partners are kept informed throughout the process.
This can be done through timely press releases, statements on social media channels, or even direct communication with those affected by the incident.
It is also essential for companies to be completely honest about what happened and how they are addressing it – avoiding any attempts at spinning the facts or trying to downplay the impact of the event.
By responding quickly and transparently, companies can help protect their reputation from significant damage.
You will also demonstrate their commitment to ensuring all parties involved understand exactly what has occurred and how it will be addressed going forward.
Identify the cause
What went wrong?
Identify what caused the bad branding event.
What was not considered or planned for?
What was missing that caused a great idea to turn disaster?
In the Snapple example, someone literally forgot about the weather and its effect.
Taking the time to consider potential issues is important even in a time crunch.
This info could have prevented the melting catastrophe.
With careful analysis, we can learn from mistakes, prevent future problems, and improve your processes or products.
One of the most infamous marketing failures in recent memory is Burger King’s “Whopper Virgins” campaign.
Launched in 2009, it was an attempt to market the Whopper burger by having taste tests conducted by people who had never tried a Whopper before.
However, this campaign quickly drew backlash due to its use of exploitative tactics.
The people conducting the taste tests were from developing countries.
While they were promised money, a trip to Miami, and a lifetime supply of Whoppers, many reported feeling uncomfortable with the terms of their involvement in the campaign.
Ultimately, it was seen as a prime example of how not to run a marketing campaign due to its poor ethical practices and lack of consideration for its participants.
The cause of this failure was Burger King’s disregard for potential implications on their target audience.
By not taking into account cultural norms or sensitivities surrounding the participants’ backgrounds, Burger King failed to consider how their message would be received by potential customers—especially those from developing nations—and thus caused significant backlash that tarnished their brand image.
Develop a plan of action
You screwed up. Now what?
Create a plan of action to address the issue, including steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Establish a timeline for the plan and communicate it to everyone involved.
When developing an action plan to address a bad branding event, it is important to consider all aspects of the issue in order to ensure that it does not happen again.
This includes determining what steps need to be taken in order to mitigate any potential long-term damage caused by the event.
Companies should also consider how they can rebuild trust with their customers, stakeholders, and partners, as well as how they can prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
In 2018, clothing retail company H&M faced a major marketing failure when it released an ad campaign featuring a black child wearing a hoodie with the phrase “coolest monkey in the jungle” written on it.
This sparked an outcry from customers and critics alike due to its offensive implications and lack of consideration for its target audience.
In response, H&M issued an apology and worked to repair their relationships with customers by announcing initiatives such as hiring more diverse models in their ads and partnering with environmental organizations to create sustainable clothing lines.
Additionally, they launched campaigns to raise awareness about racial injustice and donated funds to organizations focusing on building better educational systems in areas affected by poverty.
Through these steps, as well as ongoing communication about their efforts, H&M was able to rebuild trust with their customers and demonstrate that they take their role as a responsible retailer seriously.
Learn from the experience
This is an opportunity to grow
Bad branding events can be seen as an opportunity for marketers to grow and learn from their mistakes.
By analyzing the cause of the bad branding event and developing a plan of action to address it, marketers can gain an understanding of their own processes and products, and how to best prevent similar events from happening in the future.
Additionally, by responding quickly and transparently to stakeholders affected by the incident, marketers can demonstrate their commitment to rebuilding trust in their brand.
Through this process, they can gain valuable insight into how best to build relationships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders – ultimately creating stronger brands that are more resilient against potential future issues.
Finally, by evaluating how well their response was received by those affected by the event, marketers can use this feedback to continuously improve upon their strategies and ensure they are providing the best possible experience for all involved.
At the End of the Day
It’s not the end of the world.
BUT handling a bad branding event requires transparency, quick communication, and a plan of action to save your brand and avoid needing to rebrand completely.
In marketing, change is always happening – whether it’s within your department or needed in your campaign.
Adaptability and flexibility is key to handling these things with grace.
By being proactive in addressing the situation, you can control the narrative, avoid further damage to your company, and turn the situation into a learning opportunity for your team.
If you need help getting up from a bad branding event, feel free to call our Atlanta office for help.
We’ll meet with you or Zoom you, whichever you need.
Let’s get you back up and running the way your brand was meant to run.
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